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Back in the Saddle

Posted on February 19, 2010 by auburnchick

Well, I’ve had a week to recover from the excitement brought on by Chicky’s high school soccer team’s success.

Last week, I had finished a four-week subbing assignment.  This week’s slate was, for the most part, empty.

I spent the few few days of the week in a stupor.  I went grocery shopping.  When I opened the back of the car, this is what I saw…

An empty trunk.

It looks strange.  Mr. Heater has been put away, has have the soccer chairs that are almost like permanent appendages of my body.

On Wednesday, I returned to the dentist.  I had a long-overdue cleaning to endure.  My dental hygienist was pleasantly surprised to discover that she wouldn’t have to pull out the ice picks to remove the plaque from my teeth.  I think my last visit cured me of my fear of the dentist.  Seems strange, eh, given that I walked out of there with a huge hole in my mouth!  My gum is healing well, and I even scheduled my next cleaning appointment.  As I checked my calendar, I was a little sad as I realized that Chicky will be settled in at Rollins by then.

That evening, I had to attend what will probably be one of my last high school soccer meetings.  We met at one of the restaurants that had generously held a fundraiser for the team.  A friend on the board surprised me when she bought my dinner.  So sweet, that one (and a small answer to prayer as my checkbook is even more lean these days).

After the meeting ended, we stayed a bit longer…just the two of us.  Each of us ordered a glass of our favorite wine and sat for about an hour while we caught up with the latest news.   Our girls have played soccer together since Chicky was 11 years old.  Her daughter has one more year of high school left.  We’re going to miss each other next year.

Thursday was one of those days…

I have been staying up late to watch Olympic coverage.  By Thursday, I was worn out.  I saw the kids off to school, caught up on email and headed back to bed, where I stayed until Chicky arrived home for lunch…around 12:20!

Yeah, I was lazy.  I didn’t feel guilty, though.  Sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

Friday, I made up for the previous lazy day by meeting the principal of a Christian school in the hopes that she will hire me as a six-week substitute for a teacher at the school.  I am excited at the prospect, but I’ve learned not to get my hopes up.  I don’t want to be disappointed if it falls through.

After my appointment, I went to the high school to sub for the teacher I had just finished an assignment for.  Her students were ecstatic to see me.  I beamed as my “children” walked in the door.  I felt like I had arrived home.

I know it had only been nine days since I’d seen them last, but oh the joy that filled my heart when I saw their smiling faces.

Being a sub can be tough…especially when you are desperate for your own class.  I feel like a foster mom whose children are being pried from her arms to be returned to their birth mother.

It’s painful.

After I got off work, I returned home and resumed work on a slide show I’m creating for the soccer banquet next week.  The most difficult part about this project is selecting the music to accompany the pictures.

Have you ever read the lyrics for workout/energetic music?  Bad stuff, most of it.  Certainly nothing I would allow my children to listen to!

Thanks to the help from some of my friends (and the Mr. who found the PERFECT song for a special section of the show), I think I’m set now.  The slide show will need a bit more tweaking over the next few days, but it is close to being done.

In addition to all of the stuff I did this week, I also started a project for the Ravelympics.  It’s going to remain a surprise.  I’m pleased with my progress and hope to finish it in the next few days.

I’ve gotta say that being back in the saddle is interesting.  Not having games to attend two or three nights a week is a strange feeling.  It will be even weirder when the soccer banquet is over, and I don’t have the slide show to finish.

Whatever will I do with myself?

Filed under: Knitting, soccer | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

I Think They Liked It

Posted on February 7, 2010 by auburnchick

K and T, newlyweds, just got a new puppy.

Look at what I saw when I went puppy loving…

I think they liked their wedding gift.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Super-Secret Project Revealed!

Posted on January 30, 2010 by auburnchick

So, I know I’ve been teasing you over the last few weeks…referring to a Super-Secret Project but giving few, if any, hints.

Well, I am thrilled to FINALLY be able to reveal what I’ve been working on!!!

But first, a bit more of a tease.

I began this project on October 5, 2009.  Chicky and I had received an invitation to a friend’s bridal shower.

“K” and “T” were getting married!  They are a very special couple.  Both graduated from college in December, and T just got hired on as a full-time youth pastor at my church.  He’s been an intern for quite some time and is very close to the local kids.  K worked at the church last summer and became very good friends with Chicky.

This is a couple that adores being with teenagers.  They have been such a blessing to my own family, so I knew a special gift was in order.

I quickly decided on a project as, of course, a knitted item was in order.

I bought the yarn…

Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool - Color 098 (Natural)

I was ready…confident that I would be able to finish the project in the three weeks time-span to the shower.

The knitting gods laughed at me.

I mean, let’s face it.  It was Fall…the holiday season.

I worked when I could, but other projects came up.

But then things settled down, and I finally focused all of my energy…

To finish…

The Tree of Life Afghan

Folks, can you believe that this pattern is free?  You can find it here.  There’s also a Ravelry group dedicated to this project.

Now, you know me, and you know I like cables and fancy patterns.  This project kept me interested.  The tree sections were actually the easiest and fastest to complete…

These panels alternate with garden sections, which required a new technique for me…using a crochet hook to pull the yarn from back to front (trust me…it’s not too hard when you read the instructions)…

The sections in-between were simple garter stitch…easy-peasy!

There are different arguments out in internet-world about the best way to complete the border.  I didn’t read ahead in the instructions, so I was oblivious.  I pretty much did what I was told and knit it separately from the rest, attaching it by using my own modified version of the mattress stitch…

The border was very simple but very elegant, forming leaf petals.  I worked on the border when I subbed for a history teacher for a week.  My classes spent most of their days watching movies…which allowed me a lot of time to knit as the movies were long, and my students were incredibly well-behaved!

Now, I’ve gotta say that I mustered up some brain power and smartly decided to leave live stitches on my needles, not binding off the edging until I was absolutely sure it was long enough.  I knit 58 repeats, stitched them to the blanket, and promptly ran out of edging.  So, I knit another 17 repeats, adding this portion to the blanket’s edge, and discovered I needed one more repeat!!  Oy!

In total, I worked 76 pattern repeats of the border.

The border really made this project complete.  It added a very elegant touch to what was already an incredibly amazing project (if I do say so myself).

Rooster and the Mr. held it up so I could get pre-washing/blocking pictures…

Now, allow me to tell you a story…real quick (yeah, right).

See, I knew I was going to have to wash this blanket…for several reasons.

First of all, this blanket almost had a bad accident, courtesy of Pele, mischievous pup that he’s become of late.

You see, one morning, shortly before Christmas, I had left the blanket on the table while I ran to the store.  When I returned thirty minutes later, I walked into the house to see a long, cream-colored string hanging off of the table.

“PELE,” I hollered, following the trail the string had left.

I followed it to the den, where my heart stopped.

There, on the floor, lay my up-to-then-completed blanket (maybe 1/3)…on the floor.

I checked it for holes.

Nothing.

However, I did notice that some of the stitches had come off the needles, which forced me to tink back the section I had just worked…about 12 rows.  At 180 stitches per row, um, well, yeah, you can imagine how mad I was.

And relieved.

But in the process, that blanket had been drug over a very hairy floor.

So yeah, I knew I was going to have to wash it before gifting it.

No easy task.

Fishermen’s Wool is 100% wool, which means no washing machine, and no dry cleaning (I checked).  Only gentle hand washing.

I feel like a bad gifter, putting this kind of burden on a newlywed.  Oh well, it’s warm and pretty…just don’t throw up on it!  Washing it is not my idea of a fun way to spend the day.

Anyhoo, I stuck the blanket in the tub, covered it with water and added a dash of dish detergent…

I took the water spray nozzle thing-y and rinsed it completely afterward.

And then I tried to pick it up.

Folks, this is one heavy blanket when it’s wet!  I had already mashed some of the water out of it, but oh my!  I laid towels across the ping pong table and rolled the blanket in them to remove more water…

Then, I placed fresh, dry towels on the table and blocked the blanket.  I wanted to open up the edging so it would lie flat.

The blanket took a few days to dry…especially with the cool temperatures we’ve had in Florida.

Then I had to wait because one of the newlyweds went out of town for a week.

Oy!  I was so excited to gift it (and blog about it)!!

And then last night finally arrived.

Gift time!!

K and T came to the house so they could open the gift in front of us.

I was so nervous!  Would they like it?  Would it match their decor?  Would they realize that I want them to USE this…not be afraid of the 100% wool thing?

I needn’t be afraid.  I think you can tell what they thought of it from the pictures below…

K inspected the work up close…

Final stats on this project:

Began on October 5, 2009
Bound off on January 18, 2010

Used 4.6 skeins (2,139 yards) of Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool (Natural)

Knit on size 8 needles

Finished blanket size:  78 x 58

A special message to K and T:  Thank you for giving of yourselves so freely and unconditionally.  You have already had a profound affect on the children in the church.  More personally, though, my own children love you.  We have come to think of you as family.

We’re thrilled that God led you to each other, and I pray that when you look at the blanket, you will be reminded of the Lord and His promises.

I decided to make this blanket for a couple of reasons.  The Tree of Life Afghan symbolizes a couple of things…

  1. The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden…a promise of eternal life spent with God one day to those who accept His love and sacrifice for us.
  2. The start of your own family tree.  May God bless you abundantly in the many, many years to come.

This gift was from the entire AuburnChick home.  I may have been the knitter, but each member encouraged me by their words and ooohhhh’s and aaahhh’s.  They also reminded me that I needed to stay on the ball and get it finished before it turned into a one-year anniversary gift!!

May you enjoy many chilly days snuggled under this blanket, and may you feel God’s love (and our’s) upon you during those, and all, times.

We love you guys!!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , | 13 Comments »

What Did AuburnChick Do Today?

Posted on January 28, 2010 by auburnchick

Today was busy.

Still, I made sure I carved out time to visit my local Panera, which opened YESTERDAY!!!  Many thanks to the student who told me!  I ran out during my Planning/lunch and grabbed Black Bean Soup, bread (I could only eat the soft innards), and fresh lemonade!  YUM!

Later, Chicky’s team was playing in the Regional Quarterfinals.  I took my knitting along, not really expecting to actually knit.  My bag is like a security blanket.  It goes everywhere with me.  But, lo and behold, I did actually knit two rows of my newest project (the Super-Secret Project will be revealed in a few days, I promise)…

Chicky’s team won!  Yay!

I managed to keep my mouth shut for most of the game.  Yay!

Wonder what I’ll be doing tomorrow…

Filed under: Knitting, soccer, This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

What Did AuburnChick Knit in 2009?

Posted on January 6, 2010 by auburnchick

I thought it would be fun to recap the items I knit (and a few I crocheted) in 2009.

~January~

Waffle Stitch Spa Cloth

Waffle Stitch Soap Sack

Hawaiian Leis Socks

My So Called Scarf

~February~

No Hair Day Hairy Chemo Cap

Calorimetry

Cabled Napkin Rings

Stornoway Socks

~March~

Shetland Shorty

~April~

Amigurumi Dolphin

Prayer for Comfort Shawl

Swallowtail Lace Shawl

~May~

Christine's Shawl

Belle Epoque Socks

~June~

Leyburn Socks

South of the Border Prayer Shawl

~July~

Hanging Vines Socks

~August~

Rick Socks

~September~

Knit for Hope Baby Hat

Lacy Rib Baby Socks

~October~

Black Sheep Booga Bag

Turn Back Time Spa Cloths

Black Sheep Booga Bag

Frog Prince

~November~

Warm Stripings Hat

Shetland Shorty

~December~

Slipper Disaster

Journal Cover Disaster

Here’s to a new year of projects!  Let’s hope that I do a little better than I did the last month of ’09!

Filed under: crochet, Knitting | Tagged: , , | 6 Comments »

A Thoughtful Friend

Posted on December 29, 2009 by auburnchick

When I walked out my front door this morning, I discovered a package.

Hmmm…I wondered what it was since it was addressed to me.

Was this another free item I had signed up for on the internet?

I had no idea.

When I opened it, I saw this…

I checked the packing slip, unsure if I had accidentally ordered something.

That’s when I discovered the note enclosed…

Oh my!  It appeared as if I had a Secret Santa!

As I tore open the wrapping, I racked my brain…trying to figure out who had sent the package.  Beneath the packaging was this…

Oh my, oh my!

Whoever it was knew that I love chocolate!

The only people I know in California are my knitting friends.  I mused about this as I opened the box…

Oh my, oh my, oh my.

About the time I popped a piece of heaven into my mouth, I was alerted to a Facebook update.

Susan, one of my internet/knitting friends welcomed me home and asked if I had found a package.

Woo Hoo!  Mystery solved.

I wasn’t surprised to find out she was the generous gifter.

I met Susan on KnittingHelp.com.  One day, she found out I had never seen Malabrigo, and she insisted on sending me a skein.  She actually sent two, I think.  I was shocked that one person would send another person such a lovely gift…simply because that person had not had the pleasure of experiencing the joy of owning a particular item (should have told her I’d never driven a convertible!).  heehee

Coincidentally, when I read Susan’s blog today, I discovered just how generous she can be.  Hop on over there and give it a read.  It will touch your heart.

This is a gal who has been through a lot in the last couple of years.  That she can be so thoughtful is both inspiring and humbling.

Thanks, Susan, for making my day.  Huge hugs to you, my Friend.

Filed under: Knitting, This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Always Have a Plan C

Posted on December 23, 2009 by auburnchick

First off, Super Sis, if you’re reading this before Christmas, do yourself a favor and skip it.  Just for a few days.  You’ll get it…later.

Back to my story.

Somebody somewhere is having a good laugh right now…

At my expense.

You see, for some odd reason, the knitting magic has disappeared from my hands, and I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why.

You’ll recall the disaster I encountered with the felted slippers.  A HUGE thanks to all who assured me that this tragedy has befallen others in the knitting kingdom.  I don’t feel as stupid as I did.

The latest mishap occurred today.

The AuburnChick family headed out for some Christmas visiting, spending oodles of hours in the car en route to our multiple destinations.

I figured this would be the perfect time to finish the project I made reference to in yesterday’s post.

The pattern I had set my heart on was the Journal Cover, found in the 2010 Calendar included with the December issue of Simply Knitting.  As soon as I saw it, I thought of Super Sis.  She loves to journal, so I figured I would pair it with a nice pen and Voila!

Of course, this is AuburnChick.  Simply saying “Voila” doesn’t make things magically happen.

Anyhoo, at 8:00 this morning, I was still blind to my lofty aspirations.  This is, after all, the Christmas season when there is magic in the air and when miracles happen.

I eagerly knit to my heart’s content, marvelling at how quickly I was making progress.

It wasn’t until we were headed to our second destination that I realized I might have a problem.

As I was working on the journal’s strap, I ran out of yarn.

Great.

I closely eyed my project.

I pulled out my ruler.

That’s when I discovered that my gauge was off…by two stitches per inch.

Yeah.  You can guess what that means.

The cover is humongous…and oddly shaped.

Still, I held out hope and carried it with me as I entered Coupon Queen and Grand Pooba’s home.

Queenie pulled out a journal she had in the closet.  I realized that this was the size the journal cover was SUPPOSED to be.

Great.

Take a look for yourself…

I didn’t exaggerate, did I?

I voiced the idea that maybe I could find a journal at the store…one that was a little taller and narrower.

Everyone raised their eyebrows.

Around this time, Super Sis’s husband, Super D, came to visit.

I explained my dilemma, and he did what everyone else was doing.

He laughed.

Oh, not a snicker, but a deep gutted laugh.

Thanks.  I feel so much better now.

We decided to play a game.  How many different things could this “thing” be?

Here’s what it looks like right now…

Perhaps it could be a wash cloth.  Except that my sister is the same size as me (which ain’t big, mind you).  This thing is large enough to almost go around her waist.

How about a kerchief?  Or a bib (to which Super D said that she has gotten kind of messy lately)?

A shawl?  Or how about if I put a dowel in the top, embroidered “Sisters are Forever” and asked her to hang it in her kitchen (to which Super D responded that this would be the thing you hang up right before said company visited). 

Gee thanks.

You know, though, I can be stubborn (ok people who know me…I know you’re SHOCKED by this admission).  I decided to visit the book store anyhow…just to make sure I had covered all bases.

Coupon Queen looked on as I tried to figure out a way to make this thing work on the many journals lining the store shelves. 

One thing she didn’t do was to lie.  She didn’t say a word as I stretched that piece of something over each book.  However, she did look visibly relieved when I finally seemed to come to my senses…declaring the mission (and the project) a total failure.

Needless to say, we’re headed out shopping VERY early in the morning.

Just for laughs, I plan on wrapping this thing with whatever her “real” present is.  Just to watch her reaction…see how nice she can be about something so utterly unusable.

As for me…Plan A, B, and C will henceforth involve better planning and a mass-produced item…just in case.

I am, after all, AuburnChick…Queen of Disaster.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Always Have a Plan B

Posted on December 22, 2009 by auburnchick

Ugh.  Sometimes being a knitter around Christmas is not a good thing.

Oh sure, people will make comments like, “You’re so lucky.  You can just make things for people.”

Yeah, right.

That sounds like a good plan if you start in August.  However, when you start a project the second week of December and expect to have a wonderful gift by the 25th, you should always have a Plan B because, as we all know (or have learned through trial and error), things rarely go as planned.

Enter in my brilliant idea, which I got after reading this, posted by the Yarn Harlot.  These would be the perfect gift for my mom!  I was so proud of myself and patted myself on the back for being so smart.

Why, oh why does the Yarn Harlot make everything look so easy?

I mean, I was realistic in my expectations.  I knew that if she only needed 90 minutes to knit an item, I would need a week.  I know what I’m capable of.

But hey, I can knit.  I can purl.  I can seam (thanks to the frog project I recently completed).  I can most certainly felt (think back to the oodles of booga bags I’ve made).

I eagerly bought my yarn, using coupons to buy both skeins…

The directions were tres easy too, with all pieces knitted up in a few days (taking into account something called Life, which got in the way, time-wise).

However, the seaming…well, what can I say…it was a royal P-A-I-N.  But, I had read about this too, and I thought I had psyched myself up to face the challenge.

Sunday night was to be the big night…Felting Night!!

The slippers appeared to be doing okay.  I could see the yarn doing its thing…losing stitch definition.

Things were progressing along nicely.

Until…I pulled them out for the last time, figuring that 20 minutes in the washer was enough.

First of all, the slippers looked too big, still.

My mom has itsy bitsy feet.

Great.

One look at the “straps,” and I knew I was sunk.  They were misshapen.

Ugh.

I tried setting them out and shaping them with newspaper stuffed inside plastic bags.

This trick did not work.

I put the slippers on my shoe dryer to speed the drying process.

When I pulled them off, oh, they were dry.  But I still had huge issues.

They didn’t look anything like the picture in the pattern (which I had to pay for, by the way)…

The slippers had a couple of big problems:

Problem #1 – Which ends were the toes, and which were the heels?

Problem #2 – Which slipper was the left, and which was the right?

Together, these problems equaled U-G-L-Y.

Sigh.

This is what I get for allowing myself to think that I had the knit-know-how to pull this off.

But, I had little time to feel sorry for myself.  I now had an extra present to buy.

Enter Plan B.

Thanks to developing savvy shopping skills over the last few months, I snagged a box of tea from Bed Bath & Beyond, using a $5 coupon in the process.  I added a teapot from an antique store downtown, and the gift set was complete…

Poor Mom.  I think this will be the third teapot I’ve given her in the last two years.  I think I have forced her to start collecting them.  Oh well.  Plan B is better than nothing.

I think I’ve learned my lesson though…or maybe I will have learned it.  We’ll see as I try desperately to finish one last gift.  Stay tuned!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , | 6 Comments »

A Gift From Francis

Posted on December 16, 2009 by auburnchick

First off, I am so sorry I’ve been neglecting the blog the last few weeks.  High school soccer season has been in full swing with the girls playing up to three games a week.  With my long-term subbing job, I haven’t had a whole lot of spare time…

Last night's game...lovely weather conditions, eh?

Thank goodness for shoe dryers (we have two)!

Anyhoo…back to the real topic of this post…gifts!

You’ll recall that a couple of days ago, I blogged about the Shetland Shorty I made for one of my students.

I took the gift to school, eager to see her reaction.  I went to the library, where we had originally planned to meet up, but she wasn’t there!  Oy!  I waited a few minutes before heading to my class.  I thought she had forgotten.

She hadn’t.  She was running late.

About ten minutes into my first class, who showed up at the door?

Francis!!

I had her have a seat while I got my students started on their work.

And then the gifting began.

As she pulled out the gifts I had wrapped in tissue paper, I grew nervous.

She saw the Bible first, and she read the note I had written inside.

I got a hug.

Then she unwrapped the shrug.

Her mouth opened in a surprised “O.”

She recounted the time she had seen me wear mine…the exact memory I had of that encounter.

She seemed touched that I had gone through the trouble to make one for her.  It was no trouble at all, I assured her.

Then it was my turn to open my present.

It was small, wrapped in ribbon, and taped heavily.

Once I broke through, I discovered this…

BLING!!!

You guys know, from reading about my travels, that I do like beaded bling!!  Woo Hoo!  And bling in which all of the pieces have been hand-picked and put together by an 18 year old…oh, but my heart sang!

We both hugged, and she told me she loved me.  Gosh, but my heart just swelled with joy.  I love this girl as well.

I am still so surprised every time I make such connections with kids.  This is my favorite thing about teaching…being touched by other lives and discovering that I’ve touched theirs’ as well.

Filed under: Knitting, soccer | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

A Gift for Francis

Posted on December 14, 2009 by auburnchick

Every once in awhile someone touches your life in a really special way.

So special, in fact, that you decide to do a little something to let them know how you feel.

Last winter, I spent a couple of weeks subbing for one English teacher.  I was still a little new at subbing, so I was very nervous.

My first period class had quite a number of characters.  However, it didn’t take long for one student to stand out among the others.  She taught me the “ropes” of how her regular teacher ran the class.  What a huge help!

This student was bright and had the personality to match.

We instantly bonded.

In the months since that first meeting, “Francis” and I have run into each other many times.  She’s always excited when she sees me.  Can I tell you just how good this makes me feel?

Last spring, she ooohhhed and ahhhhhed over the Shetland Shorty I had just finished and was happily wearing that day.  She excitedly asked me to make her one.  I readily said yes and told her that I would have her pick out the yarn.

Well, I never quite forgot my promise, but I’ll admit that I kind of hoped that she would.

Ugh…so bad, eh?

I don’t know why, but the thought of double yarn overs and k2tog’s just didn’t thrill me.

A few weeks ago, Francis and I ran into each other in the library.  The conversation went like this…

“Hi Mrs. AuburnChick!  Guess what I did yesterday?”

“Hi Francis.  I’m scared to ask, but what did you do?”

“I bought your Christmas present!” she proudly declared.

Oh boy.

“You did not,” I said.

“Yep!  I can’t wait to give it to you!” she said, and smiled broadly.

Oh boy, I thought to myself.

We finished our conversation, and off I went.

Enter in the cruise.

Do you remember the pictures of my knitting in front of the pool and ocean?  That was the Shetland Shorty I cast on…Francis’ gift from me.

Last night, I stayed up until 1:30am, working feverishly to finish it.  This is our last week of school before Christmas vacation, and I knew I wanted to gift it before we left.

Here’s how it turned out (that’s me modeling)…

I used 180g (1.8 skeins) of Southwest Trading Company’s Bamboo (colorway is black)…

I saw Francis today, and we chatted…

“Are you going to be in the library before school tomorrow?” I asked.

“Yes, why?” she asked, and then understanding crossed her face.

“Oh….” she said.  “Do you like blue and purple,” she asked, “Cause I saw you wearing a blue jacket one day,” she continued.

“Blue is one of my favorite colors,” I assured her.

“Good, cause I made you something,” she said.

Do you know that my eyes misted over at that last comment.  I told her that her making me something would make the gift even more special.

When I came home after school, I eagerly wrapped the shrug.  Because of some other things we talked about, I felt prompted to include another item…

This is a Bible I’ve had for a few years.  It has commentaries written by Max Lucado.

Francis is a smart girl, and she loves to read.  I’m hoping she’ll enjoy Max’s style of writing as much as I do.

I’m also hoping that she will read this Bible.  She does not come from a Christian upbringing…the total opposite, in fact.  However, she’s at a point in her life where she has a Christian woman (someone besides me) mentoring her on a daily basis.

One thing that struck me from our conversation was how she assured me that this woman, “…is a real Christian.  She doesn’t just say what she believes.  She lives it,” Francis told me.

Wow.

Powerful.

I’m praying that the words from this Bible literally jump out and grab hold of her heart.  Actually, she’s going to have to be the one who takes hold of God’s Word, but still…you know what I’m saying.

To say I’m excited about this gift-giving exchange tomorrow is one HUGE understatement…

I’m really going to miss Francis next year (she’ll be graduating in June).  But I know that God is working in her life.  I’m so thankful for His prompt, which led me to put together this gift for a very special girl.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

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